


closest approach to earth

by bloodlines



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Weird Biology, inaccurate astronomy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:13:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24918898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodlines/pseuds/bloodlines
Summary: You can’t see it, but my home is up there, somewhere. Or it used to be, anyway. I always thought there was nothing special about it until it was no longer in front of me.--an office worker wishes on a shooting star; a director's son wishes to find his family.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Mark Lee
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	closest approach to earth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pinkwinwin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkwinwin/gifts).



> For Shauna, my rarepair comrade! Just thought a fluffy jaemark would be neat on your birthday 🥺
> 
> If you'd like to have a chat, you can reach me here:  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/_bloodlines) :: [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/fleshflutes)

It takes approximately half an hour past Jaehyun’s shift for him to notice he's the last in the office. His coworkers, despite being twice his age, move incredibly fast when they're done for the day. He gives himself a few more minutes, quickly typing out an email to his colleague for edits on his work. Astronomy is brilliant, Jaehyun always thought, but translating it to a different language terrifies him every single time. Jaehyun is meticulous in his work, but thankfully he has a good team behind him to back him up.

It’s surreal walking through an empty observatory after hours, Jaehyun knows this. Walking at a snail's pace, he hears nothing but the sound of his footsteps and squeaks from his leather shoes softly echoing against the walls. He gives a nod to the custodian buffing the green and gold marble floors, making a quick exit out the back door and into the dim parking lot.

A green flash streaks across the evening sky, stunning Jaehyun from where he stands. It's common to mistake a meteor for a shooting star, but Jaehyun makes a wish on it anyway for the hell of it. He tries, unsuccessfully, to take a photo on his phone, and tracks its speed across the gradient of purple and orange clouds. It travels at an unusually slow pace, but it shows no characteristics of being a comet. Surely he'll get a record of it in the morning from his team.

The meteor is still in sight when Jaehyun drives down the long winding path from the observatory. Idling at a stop light, he stares at the green streak in curiosity for too long until the meteor is gone.

+++

Over seventy emails are sitting in Jaehyun’s inbox in the morning. Reports of numerous meteor sightings were recorded worldwide, all seemingly to have taken place at the same time. Amidst the excitement of the abnormal occurrence comes a high priority email that stuns the entire department, announcing the sudden departure of Director Byun and the arrival of his replacement, Director Lee, in three weeks.

There is reassurance of the staff roster remaining as it is, but Jaehyun is immediately suspicious. It took him years to land this job, and he can't bear the thought of having to start back at square one again. Anxiety building in his stomach, he heads out of the office for a quick break to get his head together.

On his way to the observatory’s cafe, Jaehyun spots two men in the foyer below, one with pink hair and the other with dark blue. They speak loudly in a foreign language, both pointing out the intricacies of the grand Tesla coil display lighting up. Cautious of them being electrocuted, Jaehyun keeps watch until one of them takes a deep breath, letting out the loudest laugh to the surprise of the visitors. A huge electrical discharge emits from the coil and onto the Faraday cage, sparks flying out as they walk away laughing even harder.

The coil stays alight, but Jaehyun’s eyes remain on the one who laughed.

+++

Director Lee makes his grand entrance to the observatory with a catered lunch. The staff are stunned by their new director’s youthful appearance and bright pink hair, followed by a hum of approval for his plans and promises to renovate the aging observatory. The director introduces his son, Mark, his features sharpened by his dark blue hair and softened by the loud laugh that captivated Jaehyun just weeks ago.

Jaehyun’s first encounter with Mark leaves a bad first impression. Running late to a meeting, Mark tries to corner a frantic Jaehyun, asking questions about the most recent celestial records. “You’ll have to email my team a request, I can’t take it in person,” Jaehyun tells him in his best customer service voice. “It’s the only way any of us can answer you.”

“Okay, but this is urgent!” Mark squeaks. Jaehyun opens the door to his office, quickly running inside. He’s only stopped from closing it shut when Mark holds it open by the strength of his forearm. Jaehyun notices light markings just under his hand, as if he’d poorly concealed his tattoos with stage makeup.

“My dad needs those records, like _as soon as possible_ or I’ll get yelled at,” he says nervously. “That is what you have, isn’t it? Please help me.”

Jaehyun lets the door go, leaving it slightly ajar. He straightens up, standing just a few inches taller than Mark to intimidate him. “Yes, I have what you are looking for,” he replies bluntly. “If he needs the records, he needs to email a request to my team, Mark. If you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a meeting. Goodbye now.”

"But—" Mark stares at him, eyes traveling down to the name tag hanging from the lanyard around Jaehyun’s neck. He raises a brow and flicks his finger at the plastic card. “Fine. I’ll send in a request. Thanks for your help or whatever.”

Jaehyun forces a smile, slowly closing the door on a dejected Mark.

+++

Feeling awful about being a jerk, Jaehyun reintroduces himself to Mark a few days later. Thankfully Mark is forgiving, and gives Jaehyun a second chance at a better impression. Afterwards, Jaehyun catches glimpses of Mark around the observatory in the following weeks, always giving him an enthusiastic wave almost every single time.

Mark seems overly excitable about everything, but Jaehyun finds it charming. He’s even further charmed when he finds out Mark is in charge of manning the Hennig Telescope, often staying behind to listen to the history of their largest telescope for groups of young students nearly every day.

“Don’t you get tired of hearing me say the same thing?” Mark asks one day. He takes his time to clean the base of the giant telescope, ridding it of oil and fingerprints. Jaehyun spots the light markings on his arms, wondering if Mark has a full sleeve hiding under his clothes. “Never knew your voice could get hoarse repeating the same shit every day.”

Jaehyun leans against the entryway, hands in his pockets with a smile. “Nah. Doesn’t get old,” he replies, “besides, I like hearing you talk.”

“Yeah?” Mark smiles wide, cheekbones going high up. “Always knew I had a sexy voice. If you come with me for lunch, I’ll read you the erotic version of my work contract.”

They sit on the patio of the cafe overlooking the mountains, the view slightly overcast, but still a nice day out. Jaehyun looks over at Mark staring into the distance, his ready made Caesar salad already half finished. He speaks under his breath, muttering in the language Jaehyun can’t quite pinpoint. It sounds nothing like what he's heard before, almost smokey in tone and husky in delivery.

“You alright?” Jaehyun asks. Mark stares for a little longer, then fakes a smile at Jaehyun. “If you’re feeling sick, you should go home. I’m sure someone can cover for you.”

“I don’t really have a home,” Mark replies quietly. Jaehyun raises his brows in concern. “Obviously I live with my dad, but I still haven’t gotten used to all of… _this_. Everything’s so different. I feel like I’m here and somewhere else all the time.”

Jaehyun reaches out to Mark, lightly rubbing his arm. Mark smiles halfheartedly at the gesture, and places his hand over Jaehyun’s. No other words are exchanged between them, but Jaehyun understands how Mark would feel lonely in a new city like this. He could take Mark out for drinks after work, get him to loosen up a little bit. Dinner for two at his favorite restaurant might be even better.

“You can always come to me,” Jaehyun mentions as they’re walking back. “You already know where my office is. Just find me and we can talk, even if it's about the celestial records.”

Mark’s eyes light up, letting out nervous laughs between his thank yous to Jaehyun. He slips past the velvet rope guarding the entrance to the telescope, taking one step up the stairs to be eye level with Jaehyun. “Even if it's like, a beer or something? I don’t think this place has a bar.”

“It does, you just have to look carefully,” Jaehyun chuckles, placing a hand on the velvet rope post between them. He doesn’t move when Mark’s hand is over his, but feels the heat rising from the back of his neck to his ears compared to when they were outside just a few moments ago. “Pr-Probably just cans of Coors Light or Modelo,” he stutters, “leftover stuff from star parties. You'd feel at home at one of them.”

Mark lightly squeezes Jaehyun’s hand with a grateful smile. “Thanks for being so nice to me,” he says earnestly. “We'll go to one of your star parties yet.”

Mark walks up the staircase before Jaehyun can respond, his hand slowly slipping away. The bare feeling leaves Jaehyun confused, but hopeful. Walking past the Tesla coil, Jaehyun jumps when it sparks up, the electrical discharges growing stronger as Mark’s laughter can be heard through the halls.

+++

Mark takes up Jaehyun on his offer during a slow day, opting to lounge on the open lower level terrace of the observatory. They sit along the cool concrete ledges, twisting off the bottle caps of their beers before a quick toast. Jaehyun takes in the late afternoon sun, eyes closed with a soft breeze rustling through the trees surrounding them. The sky is clear, the weather is cool, and Mark couldn’t have picked a more perfect time than this.

“We should do this more often,” Mark says, picking at the label of his bottle. “It’s nice to get away from everyone for a little bit. You ever feel like you're going to explode on the job?”

Jaehyun chuckles, taking a swig of his beer. “Pretty much every day. You'd think hiding behind a computer helps, but you find everyone just gets dumber the more you explain things to them. Sometimes I just want to stare into the void and get paid for it."

Mark looks up at the sky, one eye shut and the other squinting. “You can’t see it, but my home is up there, somewhere. Or it used to be, anyway. I always thought there was nothing special about it until it was no longer in front of me. But when we read the celestial records together, it feels like I’m right there with you.”

Jaehyun takes note of the tone in Mark’s voice. Given the people he works for, he’s gotten used to the wishful thinking of wanting to be one with the universe. Somehow it’s different when Mark says it, like a lost soul wandering the earth. A cluster of lines make their way along Mark's jawline, glowing softly to Jaehyun's confusion.

“You want to be with the stars.”

“I _was_ a star.” Mark looks back at Jaehyun, almost heartbroken. He comes down from the ledge, resting his hand over Jaehyun’s knee. “In another life, I’m sure you were one, too.”

+++

The Tesla coil becomes a hazard to the observatory during the Spring season. Director Lee is frantic with the technicians to control it, fearful of the dent it could put on his renovation budget. The Faraday cage it sits in is far too dangerous to handle, though the idea of boarding it up from visiting patrons would be an eyesore.

Moments later, Jaehyun is witness to an exchange between Director Lee and Mark about celestial records before they switch to speak in their mother tongue. Mark lets out a yell and the volatile Tesla coil sends a burst of sparks to render it completely broken. A panic-stricken Director Lee runs towards the Faraday cage, crying dramatically, and a shocked Mark runs out with Jaehyun following not too far behind.

Mark is quick and walks faster than Jaehyun can run after him. Jaehyun jumps down the front steps and sprints across the vast front lawn, managing to catch up with Mark halfway up a grassy hill just past the parking lot. He puts a hand to Mark’s shoulder, turning him around to stop. Mark’s hands are balled in fists, the veins on his neck prominent from his erratic breathing. On the verge of tears, the markings Jaehyun recognized from Mark’s arms are now appearing along the sides of his face. Jaehyun thinks fast and leads Mark up the hill behind a row of trees where they can’t be seen.

“Are you alright?” Jaehyun asks in concern. He waits for Mark to look at him, managing to do so when he puts an assuring hand on Mark’s arm. “What happened with your dad? Did he say something to you?”

“I can’t talk about it, I can’t—” Mark chokes out behind a laugh. His mouth quivers and he breaks away from Jaehyun, falling to his knees to cry. Jaehyun kneels down beside Mark to comfort him. “I didn’t want you to see me like this,” he cries behind his hands, eyes reddened and cheeks wet with tears when he looks up at Jaehyun. “It has nothing to do with work, but I promise you I’m crying from joy.”

Jaehyun lets Mark cry on his shoulder, one hand on the back of Mark’s neck and the other rubbing his back to calm him down. It takes several minutes before Mark is back to normal, the markings on his face now gone. He uses the sleeves of his dress shirt to wipe his tears, then folds them up midway, showing off the intricate designs on his forearms that Jaehyun takes notice of. Mark stands to his feet when he’s ready, taking Jaehyun by the hand down a recently cleared pathway.

“I don’t want to be in the office right now,” he says in a shaky voice, “but I want you with me.”

Jaehyun grips Mark’s hand a little tighter, trusting him to go wherever he needs to be. He grows worried when the observatory is no longer in sight, wondering in his five years of employment why he’d never known about this path. The way down is claustrophobic until they reach the end, Mark's hand pushing aside a curtain of branches from the trees above. To Jaehyun's surprise, a quaint cottage sits on untouched land, the sides of the home covered in vines almost masquerading it into a hill.

Mark motions for a stunned Jaehyun to follow him, leading him down a gravel walkway towards the front door. The garden around them is overrun with flowers and overgrown topiaries, and Jaehyun feels like he’s just stepped inside of a dream. It’s the kind he’s seen in magazines and TV shows, the kind he could see his parents living in their later years.

“Is this place real? How did you even find it?” Jaehyun asks in shock. Mark pulls out a pair of keys from his pocket, easily opening the front door with a smile. “It came with Dad's work contract, so he technically owns it,” he answers over his shoulder. “He’s not sure what to do with it yet, but for now, it’s just you and me.”

It’s evident the home had been recently cleaned out, given the poorly wiped dust circles on the black marble tables and strings of cobwebs still hanging from the walls. Despite the place being in need of dire repair, Mark walks through it as if it were fully furnished, spreading his arms out to welcome the sunlight entering through the windows. Jaehyun is entranced by Mark, eyes softening at the golden glow in front of him, a fallen angel bereft of his wings.

And wherever Mark goes, Jaehyun follows. Mark is casual in his steps and Jaehyun is careful, unsure of the creaky floorboards underneath them. Jaehyun feels like he’s in high school again, the few times he snuck into the empty PE equipment room with his crush instead of attending after school tutoring. It's different now, given he could lose his job if anything happens to Mark, instead of getting Saturday detention. When they make it to the back garden, Mark finds an old discarded sun hat, placing it on his head to Jaehyun’s amusement.

“What do you think? Do I look like I’m going to the beach?” Mark asks, pulling different poses with the hat. “I could’ve been a model,” he says as Jaehyun laughs.

Mark tosses the hat aside, trading it for a marigold to tuck behind his ear. Skipping down a few steps, Mark misses a step and stumbles. Jaehyun is quick, catching Mark by the waist. Mark is out of breath, both arms clinging around Jaehyun’s shoulders. Jaehyun’s staring at Mark in shock and trying to keep steady, his heart racing from how close they are.

"Careful," Jaehyun says nervously.

Mark stares at Jaehyun and sighs dreamily, his eyes suddenly full of stars. "My hero."

Mark puts a hand to Jaehyun’s cheek, fingers softly curling into the curve of his earlobe. Jaehyun can hardly think at this moment and he closes his eyes, letting the gap between them close shut. He melts into Mark’s touch, hands slipping to Mark’s hips to bring him closer. His gut reaction tells him to break the kiss, but Mark pulls him back in, again and again, giving Jaehyun what he’s been without for so long.

+++

Jaehyun is hiding around the corner when he goes to see Mark again the following day. Instead of meeting by the terrace, Mark is arguing with his father about yesterday's disappearance. Jaehyun's insides start to curdle until Mark pushes up his shirt sleeves, and Director Lee changes the subject immediately.

“How many times have I said you cannot walk around showing these off!” Director Lee shouts, pointing at the designs on Mark’s arms. “It’s still not safe for us!”

“Dad, it’s been months, people will think it’s just tattoos!” Mark says in defense. “Besides, this shouldn’t matter if we managed to make contact. Jaehyun helps me read the celestial records every day, you don’t know what that means for us to find the rest of our family. We’re making progress, we’re going to see them again! Isn't that what we've been doing all along?”

Director Lee groans in frustration, hands tugging at his bright pink hair. “You do what you need to do,” he points a finger at his son, “but if Jaehyun finds out, I need you to be prepared. I raised you to be strong, Mark, and you have to be careful. Do you understand?”

Mark smoothes out his shirt and stands up taller. “Then I’ll tell him myself.”

Hearing Mark’s footsteps, Jaehyun runs around the corner then back towards the terrace, purposely bumping into Mark to avoid suspicion. Mark takes Jaehyun by the hand and down the long marble floored corridor, leaving a worried Director Lee behind.

+++

Jaehyun can hardly believe the way Mark is drinking. He’s six beers in with a belly full of soft pretzels and has yet to show the slightest bit of drunkenness. He still speaks in his normal tone of voice, always excited about anything anyone talks about. Perhaps it’s the dim lighting of the beer garden they’re in or all the chatter that’s around them that masks it. Either way, Jaehyun is suspicious.

“You’re really holding yourself well for someone starting on their seventh beer.”

Mark bursts with laughter, the halo of fairy lights above his head flickering brightly. “My body processes alcohol a thousand times faster than a regular human. Getting drunk is impossible.”

Jaehyun reaches for Mark’s hand over the table, and flips his arm over. He traces over the intricate designs with his free hand, Mark clearly shuddering from Jaehyun’s touch. “Let me guess, your body processed the tattoo ink so fast that this is all you have left? Or is it scarification?”

Mark looks everywhere but at Jaehyun, unsure of what else to say. The fairy lights above his head go from bright to just a slight twinkle the longer Mark stays quiet. “It’s a map of me," he finally starts, "I was born with it, and it’s not just on my arms. It’s on my chest, my back, everywhere. It comes and goes, as you've seen.” Confusion is in Jaehyun’s face, letting Mark know he’s unsure whether or not to believe him. “I’m not who you think I am."

"No shit," he blurts out, massaging the sides of his temples. "You told me you're a star—what is that supposed to mean? Am I supposed to just take your word for it?"

Mark looks at him as if he'd been stabbed in the heart. "And I was telling you the truth," he says in the smallest voice. "I'm no longer a star, Jaehyun. But I am alive.”

Jaehyun buries his head in his hands, giving himself a minute to think. “I overheard you arguing with your dad earlier,” he recalls, and Mark tenses up. “I don't know what you're doing, Mark. But whatever it is you need to tell me, even if you think it'll hurt me, I just want you to be honest.”

Mark bites the inside of his lips, eyes tearing up when he looks at Jaehyun. He wipes his eyes and swallows hard, as if the seven glasses of liquid courage have finally kicked in. "Take me to your place.”

It's taking a while for Jaehyun to understand Mark is not human.

Mark is millions of atoms and cosmos in the body he made himself, the blood in his veins conducting currents of power strong enough to make the Tesla coil volatile. He tells Jaehyun of his home in the stars, how it was destroyed before his very eyes, and separated him from his entire family. He explains the crash landing from months ago, Jaehyun realizing Mark was the green meteor he’d seen in the sky all along. Mark explains the departure of Director Byun, learning he too is also from the same home star.

“How do you think Dad got the job so fast?” Mark says with a laugh.

“Well he did sort of just disappear,” Jaehyun realizes. "Where did he even go?”

“Morocco, last I heard. But he could be anywhere looking for the rest of us. That’s why I asked you about the celestial records, I wanted to see if there were any traces of my cousins in the sky,” Mark explains, looking towards the open window of Jaehyun’s room. “Dad managed to make contact with a few of them thanks to Director Byun, but there’s still more we haven’t heard from.”

Mark continues talking about his family origins, all of it far too scientific for Jaehyun to process. His heart pounds out of his chest, wondering how he could fall for someone like Mark and be so blind to all the clues. The thought of Mark using him makes his stomach sink, but Mark’s far too genuine to ever make him feel less than.

“So you got close to me to get what you wanted. Smart move,” Jaehyun says with a soft laugh. Mark freaks out, apologizing profusely, but Jaehyun calms him down. “You’ll find your family, I know you will. And I’ll be there to help because you asked,” he assures Mark, and heat rises to his cheeks when Mark kisses him on the lips in thanks. “Just tell me—when you find your family… do you plan on leaving all of this behind?”

Mark looks at Jaehyun through his lashes, letting his hands cup the sides of Jaehyun’s face. Once again, Jaehyun can only melt into his touch. Jaehyun reaches for Mark's hands, letting his fingers run along the bumps and ridges of Mark's skin to make him shiver.

“Dad likes it here on Earth and so do I,” Mark says, looking in Jaehyun's eyes. “I was lost in the stars once, but how could I lose my way when I'm looking at one right now?”

Jaehyun spends the rest of the night studying Mark’s body, his mouth tracing the lines that travel from Mark’s hips to his abdomen, his hands following the intricate maze from his chest and outwards to his arms. Mark guides Jaehyun to his bed, letting the lights in the bedroom flicker until the bulbs are burnt as dark as the hand prints on Jaehyun’s back and hips. Jaehyun can feel everything under the weight of Mark, with every breath and every push, wondering how he could ever think otherwise of a fallen star.

Dawn comes and Mark sleeps peacefully by Jaehyun’s side, the lights in his room back to a full glow.

+++

The observatory is surreal after hours. Jaehyun knows this every time he walks down the green and gold marble floors. But instead of heading home, he heads for the pitch black planetarium, sealing it shut once he’s inside. A grand projection of the galaxy is shown on the ceiling with Mark at the center of the room. Jaehyun joins him, listening as Mark points out the most recent sightings of his family. Mark changes the projection to a map of Australia, zooming in closer towards the outskirts of Sydney.

"I found them. I found the rest of my family," Mark says with tears in his eyes. Jaehyun picks Mark up by the waist and spins him around in excitement, letting the projector overheat when they kiss.

Within two months, Jaehyun finds himself among a crowd of people at a star party in the woodlands of Wiruna, hand in hand with Mark by his side. Mark’s cousins are overly welcoming of Jaehyun, flocking to him to ask about the stars he’s seen all over the world, and feeding him more than he can handle to Mark's delight.

The evening gets colder and Jaehyun sits by a portable heater, smiling content at the clearest night skies he's ever seen. Mark takes his place next to Jaehyun moments later, both lying down over a blanket with their hands linked together. Jaehyun listens to Mark pointing out the constellations, eventually asking him to speak in his native tongue, mesmerizing him with its cool, smokey dialect.

Mark's cousins let out a collective yell, pointing at the sky. The crowd around them gasps, camera shutters going off in rapid succession to catch a glimpse of a bright pink comet passing by.

"That anyone you know?" Jaehyun teases.

Mark lets out a laugh, the glow of the comet shining even brighter. "Make a wish. Maybe it can be us on a honeymoon."


End file.
